The present invention relates generally to the repair of articulated connections in railway vehicles and, more particularly, to an improved female connecting member and method to facilitate removal of a ring seat from the female connecting member.
The use of articulated connections with male and female connecting members joining adjacent ends of railway cars on the bolster of a single truck to form a semi-permanent unit is well known and is shown in the following United States patents, among others: Tack et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,482; Altherr, U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,146; Radwill, U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,758; and Altherr, U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,628.
Furthermore, the female connecting members of articulated connections are known to include an annular groove within which a spherical ring and ring seat are received to, in turn, act as a mounting surface for the male connecting member. The purpose of such spherical ring and ring seats are to allow, in part, for vertical and horizontal angling movement as well as rotational movement between the male and female connecting members when their respective railway cars are travelling on grades, around curves or rocking with respect to each other.
The use of such parts in an abutting relationship under high loads requires the maintenance of close tolerances to prevent high impact forces which cause excessive wear and possible fracture within the connection. During an extended period of service, the ring and ring seat and their respective opposing surfaces wear resulting in the lowering of the male connecting member and the car body to which it is secured. Consequently, a corresponding decrease in the restrictive space allocated for side bearing clearance occurs which is below the minimum height set by the American Association of Railroads. One way to restore the male connecting member to an acceptable height is to place a shim within the annular groove underneath the ring seat. This is done by disconnecting the male connecting member from within the female connecting member and lifting the ring and ring seat from within the annular groove; placing the shim within the annular groove; reinserting the worn ring and ring seat over top the shim; and reconnecting the male connecting member within the female connecting member.
A problem that has occurred during this maintenance procedure is that the ring seat often becomes lodged or "frozen" within the annular groove making it extremely difficult and sometimes impossible to lift out. If the ring seat cannot be removed during repair, it is then necessary to destroy the ring seat, typically accomplished by cutting it into several pieces using a cutting torch, to effect its removal. Such destruction of the ring seat requires the car owner to prematurely purchase a new ring seat.